Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A member of a corps de ballet who does not perform solos.
- n. A stage performer having no speaking part.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. One who dances in the figures of the ballet.
- n. An accessory character on the stage, who figures in its scenes, but has nothing to say.
- n. Hence One who figures in any scene without taking a prominent part.
Wiktionary
- n. an actor in the background lacking an aural presence
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. One who dances at the opera, not singly, but in groups or figures; an accessory character on the stage, who figures in its scenes, but has nothing to say; hence, one who figures in any scene, without taking a prominent part.
Etymologies
- French, from present participle of figurer, to represent, from Old French, from Latin figūrāre, to form, from figūra, figure; see figure.
Examples
“Or nous sommes confrontés à un énorme problème d'opacité: nous sommes incapables d'évaluer la quantité de toxiques bancaires figurant encore au bilan des banques du fait du processus de titrisation”
“The deceased, who is never mentioned by name, appears as a mere figurant, or rather an onlooker.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 5: Diocese-Fathers of Mercy
“The plebiscite, undoubtedly, as well as the election of deputies to the Corps Legislatif are simply comedies; but, in these comedies, one rôle is as good as another and the duke of the old or new pattern, a mere figurant among hundreds and thousands of others, votes only once like the corner-grocer.”
“French stage has a story of a _figurant_ who ruined at once a new tragedy and his own prospects by an unhappy _lapsus linguæ_, the result of undue haste and nervous excitement.”
A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character
“He ventures to hold that as much talent is necessary to constitute a tolerable _figurant_ as to make a good actor.”
A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character
“He describes the _figurant_ as a multiform actor, a dramatic chameleon, compelled by the special nature of his occupation, or rather by its lack of special nature, to appear young or old, crooked or straight, noble or base-born, savage or civilised, according to the good pleasure of the dramatist.”
A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character
“The _figurant_, from this modest and accidental beginning of his career as an actor, speedily rose to be famous.”
A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character
“The beer was brought him by a _figurant_, or mute performer, in the character of a waiter, charged with the simple duty of drawing the cork from the bottle and filling the glass of the customer.”
A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character
“Meantime the _figurant_ cherishes sanguine hopes that he may one day rise to a prominent position in the ballet, or that he may become an _accessoire_; and the _accessoire_ looks forward fervently to ranking in the future among the regular actors or”
A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character
“A Parisian _figurant_, advanced to the position of”
A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘figurant’.
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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-ant
"Ant -- that's like, an animal right? So important ... importbear."
mordant, surfactant, rant, supplant, chant, plant, figurant, currant, flagrant, scant, savant, grant and 1 more...
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Words that Derridaphiles would like to call the...
If you don't know what the list name means, there isn't a precis on the planet that'll help you sort it out.
ethnofinancecologist As the Swan of Avon reminded us, all the world's a stage. Most of the players thereon, however, do not even qualify for lives of quiet desperation, rather they are figurants in what ought to be their own dramas. At least that's the truth of reality on Wall Street. Jun 14, 2010